How do I make rose/flavored/scented marshmallows? More specifically, while Paris my wife fell in love with rose-flavored/scented marshmallows. I want to make her a batch as a Hannukah present.

I have several excellent marshmallow recipes but how do I get the rose flavor/scent?

I found "rose water" at Fairway (an excellent NYC supermarket) -- is that the answer? Do I just substitute some of that for the water in the recipe? If so, any guidance as to how much? If not, any other suggestions?

Yes, rose water is what you want to use. You don't want to subsitute it for the water in the recipe. If the recipe includes vanilla, I would substitute the rose water for all or part of that. Otherwise, just add a tablespoon or so near the end of the final whipping - maybe mix in a tablespoon, taste and check if it's the flavor you want, and then add more if you want a stronger rose flavor.

Yes, as others have said, use a small amount of rose water in place in addition to the vanilla after the egg whites are whipped. I sometimes use orange blossom water to flavor marshmallows too.

A few other tips: (I learned the hard way) make sure to that all of your bowls and such are fastidiously clean and your whites are also clean with no yolk at all - a bit of egg yolk will make it impossible for the things to whip up correctly. Also, invest in the candy thermometer, it will make your life easier, and be patient while the marshmallows set overnight...it will make the cutting easier. Enjoy!

Dang! Do you think your wife would trade you for an old decrepit hillbilly from W. Va? He's really very nice, even though he douses everything he eats with Tabasco, but he's never made homemade marshmallows for me.

So. . .I don't recognize the labels on those bottles. If you can find rose water that's been distilled in Greece, Turkey, India, Pakistan, a Slavic or Middle Eastern country, it'll be fine--the people of those countries know how to use rose (and orange blossom) water.

In your marshmallow recipe, substitute half as much rose water as vanilla: If your recipe calls for a teaspoon of vanilla, sub with 1/2 teaspoon of rose water.

With what's left, do a search for recipes like baklava or shortbread cookies. Or make bathing salts or sachets.

Irene, I also shouldn't have any trouble finding rose water from a middle eastern country (which is where the larger bottle is from based on the arabic writing on the label) -- as luck would have it, I live 3 blocks from the remnants of THE middle eastern neighborhood of Brooklyn -- there are 4 or 5 stores chock full of things like rose water.

I haven't made the marshmallows yet -- I decided that she'd enjoy the them more if we made them together and made 3 batches with different amounts of rose water as to get the flavor *just* right. Stay tuned for a taste test in a week or so. ;-)

Now, I know I'm nobody to knock Food & Wine, but dang, 3 tablespoons of rose water? I STARTED with 1/2 tsp and it was too flowery for me. I would definitely start smaller than that. Have you made any yet, Peter?